JAPANESE POP CUI.JURE & LANGUAGE LEARNING $4.50
M A N G A J I N Manga
BUSINESS MANNERS
No. 26
.JACK SEWARD'S
OUTRAGEOUS JAPANESE
An Interview with San1 Jan~eson Los Angeles Times Tokyo Bureau Chief In Japan they always give you a shave as part of the haircut. T he barber put the chair down so that here I was lying totally defenseless. As J heard him sharpening the razor on the leather strap, thoughts of "My goodness, what if this guy wants revenge for the war?'' went passing through my mind.
Why did you decide to learn Japanese? I had almost 19 months to serve
With over 30 years experience as whether I liked Japan or not, and I disforeign correspondent in Japan, covered quite quickly that in those days very few ordinary Japanese spoke enough Los Angeles Times Tokyo Bureau English to have any kind of association Chief Sam Jameson is uniquely with, much less to develop any kind of qualified to comment on the friendship with, Americans. (T his seems American and Japanese press as to be the case today as well.) So I started well as the trade, political, and studying with the relatively frivolous purpose of just enjoying as much of the resocial issues that now confront maining 19 months as I could. Japan and the US. Mangajin associate publisher Greg Tenhover When did you decide to make Japan a interviewed this legendary jour- career? When I was in basic training, I knew nalist during one of Mr. there was a chance I would go to Japan, Jameson's recent trips to the US. so I began reading about what was going What first brought you to Japan, and what were your initial impressions? I was drafted and sent to Japan as a soldier in 1960. I had worked for the Chicago Tribune for a year before I went into the Army, so J was assigned to work for Stars and Stripes. If J hadn't been drafted, I probably never would have gone to Japan, and mos t certainly wouldn' t be here today. The only thing I knew about Japan at that time was that we had been enemies in World War II. The most vivid example of where my knowledge was when I first arrived was when I went to get a haircut.
on the re at the time. The most important issue in 1960 was revision of the US-Japan Security Treaty. I thought the American reporting was atrocious, because the sole thrust of it was merely what the Japanese government was saying-it didn' t include any of the sentiments of average people. When I first arrived in Tokyo, I spent much of my time exchanging language lessons with Japanese students, whose age I was fairly close to at the time. This was only six months after thousands had demonstrated in the streets protesting the unilateral passage by the ruling party of a revision of the Security Treaty. I learned from the students that these
people were not, as Prime Minister Kishi put it, "eat's paws of international communism." In fact, none of the protesters I met were communists. Contrary to American reports, they were actually protesting the undemocratic method of enacting the revisions when all the opposition parties were boycotting Parliament. If anything, the demonstrations were a backhanded compliment to the United States. The upshot of the demonstrations was the cancellation of a visit in June of 1960 by President Eisenhower. The demonstrators opposed the visit because they were afraid that Eisenhower, with his influence, would bolster the government of Prime Minister Kishi. So to get rid of Kishi meant to block the visit by Eisenhower. The demonstrations, however, were portrayed as anti-American and the depth of the reporting did not go beyond the objections lO the treaty revision. After working for Stars and Stripes for around six months, I started becoming interested in the country in an intellectual and then a professional sense. I then started studying the language, not merely to have a pleasant social time but to try and learn something about Japan in the hope of becoming a correspondent there. So I stayed after leaving the military in June 1962 and studied Japanese at the Tokyo University of Foreign Languages (not related to Tokyo University) until March of 1963. I was still on the roster of the Chicago Tribune, although not receiving a salary. When I finished studying, the Tribune called me home for consultation prior to making me their Japan correspondent in June 1963. So this coming June will be my 30th anniversary as a correspondent.
• drafted = ~~~h. t~ chiihei sareta • vivid = 1:.4 t L t~ iki-iki to shira • revenge = &.CJ~kushii • frivolous = -'I'Jtilii 13 ft fumajime-na • basic training= (ilf.Jihing is here to a~!>ist you.
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MANGAJIN
13
A Taste of Culture
Ekiben "Station box lunches" make getting there more fun by
Elizabeth Andoh Japan Airlines Photo by Morris Simoncelli
In today's jet-paced, high-tech world, business and leisure travele rs don' t usually worry about where their next meal will be comjng from . But, when you stop to think about it, transporting and preserving food without the benefit of refrigeration or swift transpo rt must have been a considerable challenge to pre-modern socie ties. The Japanese response to this challenge-obentQ-wa c lever, convenient, and obviously appealing since it hasn ' t changed all that much in the last eight hundred years or so. The word bellto (the o- prefix is an optional "polite" touch) seems to have come into use during the 12th century.
1r-*
It derives from two calligraphs meaning " for the time being" (#i' J.> benzuru ). ln other words, a bento was originally a light meal intended to stave off hunger. particularly while traveling, until a proper meal could be eaten. Cul inary historians speculate that most bento of that era were probably pressed rice cakes that might have been accompanied by pickled vegetables or other bits of preserved food. T oday, bento can range from a simple rice ..sandwich" wrapped in bamboo leaves, to a rather elaborate menu artfull y arranged in a lacquered box. With the industrialization of Japan at the turn of the 20th century, railroads became an important part of Japanese life. T he railroads transported people as well as manufactured goods. It is thought that eki bento (Jf..1f*. usually hortened to ekiben) or "train station boxed meals" began at Utsunomiya station, north of Tokyo in Tochigi prefec ture, in 1885. There, it seems, an e nterprising gentleman by the name of Saito Kahei sold pressed rice cakes (i:> tr't {f omusubi) tuffed with pickled plums (tfi umeboshi) that he garnished with yellow pickled radish (iRII\t takuan ). Other entrepreneurs quickly followed his lead. Today, every major train statio n in Japan sells its own variation on ekiben. Vendors hawk their wares on the station platforms while young ladies bring their baskets and carts up a nd down the aisles in the trains: "/kaga deshiJ ka? Obento (~ 1'~. toza) and " make do"
r
wa ikaga desha ka ?" Most ekiben tend to be of two types: meisan :gj1fi, which boa t a menu based on "famous" locally avai lable foods, and ~~which are meals arranged in a particular manner or in a spec ial type of box to commemorate a local activity, festival o r event. Shizuoka is famous for its tea, and so in
meibutsu Daruma Eklben from Gunma Prefecture Photofrom Ekiben, by Komekura. Bosker & 1Vato11abe. © 1989 Clrroflicle Books
• derives from= 1: iJJ ~T 6 ni yuroi suru • to stave off= I H;}(~~ 1: ft"' tf:l6 J., t'li1.1 t 6 ichiji-reki ni kuiromerulsakeru • culinary historians= *1-flli5eiii( n·ori shiko • speculate = ~ T J., suiko Sl/nl • elaborate = iJ,E? t~JT.).:; i' if( i? LJ: koualkufii 0 korashita • at the tum of the 20th century =20fil: ~ q) 'B.:.v I) l/)q)t;t:l.20f!I:~~Jll!'i.llijusstiki 110 koworime 110 koro, nijusseiki slroro • 'endor =%6 A . .: .: 't'IJ:1ftl'JC I) uru hiro. koko de •.-a bemo-uri •hawk =Of-U'% I) T J., yobiuri suru • ware= jfij,\-1, shiilrin • commemorate= il~ZT 6 Jlll-1 kine11 suru I 111'011
m
----------------------~
14
M ANGAJt N
Ta s te•of•Culture Shizuoka station cha meshi ~liri.. or "tea rice," is the meisan bentif. The Daruma bentif sold in Takasaki station is typical of the meibutsu variety of train station lunch. Takasaki, in Gunma Prefecture, is famous for its Daruma sculptures and dolls so it's not surprising that the shape o f the lunc h box is fashioned to resemble a Daruma doll. The contents of the lunch vary considerably from one day to the next, but the container is aJways the same. Other kitschy and cute boxes worth co!Jecting include the dimpled, white plastic golf ball from Karuizawa'sgorujU bentif :f Jv 7 #~ and Fukushima's two-tiered warashiko bentif b I? L...: #~ with a whimsically drawn child's face peeking out from under a straw bonnet lid. Why a golf ball box from Karuizawa? Simple. Karuizawa is a famous resort town in Nagano Prefecture, known especially for its exclusive (i.e. VERY expensive) golf course clubs. And why the c hild's face? In the Tohoku (northeast) dialect, "warashi" refers to children. So Fukushima, in the northeastern part of Japan's main island of Ho nshu, became known for its warashiko bentif. Like Okayama Station's Kurl ("Chestnut") Bento many meibutsu lunches, the containers are more distinctive than the food. Photo from Ekiben, by Kamekura, Bosker & Watanabe. r:J/989 Chronicle Books Ofte n regional specialties are combined with local lore. These combination meisan and meibutsu meaJs, such as Sendai • fashioned = f"F I? :11. -r II' 7.> tsukurarete-iru • kitschy= *J'/{Il)~J;.I: .g.? .1: ? 1: f"F I? :11.!.; taishii no komi ni au yo ni 1sukurarera • dimpled= If;: If;: ll) bokoboko no • whimsically = Jfii Dlfl: omoshiroge-ni • distinctive= ~'f!!_iJf~ 7.> tokushoku ga aru
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MANGAJIN
15
Taste • of• C ulture
station's kuri bento ~ :fr~ ("chestnut lunch") in a chestnuthaped box and Fukui station's crab lunch arranged in a crabshaped box, are usually the most satisfying since they merge the best tasting food with the most attractive containers. Traveling by train in Japan can be challenging (reading the time schedules, buying the right tickets) and tiresome (all those staircase s), but it can a lso be fun (remember the yummy ekiben). In addition, it can provide an excellent lesson in reg ional cuisines. Despite, or perhaps because of, the limited land mass that makes up the Japane e archipelago, regional distinctions in cooking seem to take on an even g reater importance to the native population. Most of the local products featured in the ekiben mentioned thus far a re shipped to Tokyo, Osaka and o ther major metropo litan centers for sale throughout Japan. And although several different regions might supply the same kind of foodMiyazaki (in Kyushu) and Hachioji (west of Tokyo) both are known for their shiitake mushrooms, just as the northern island of Hokkaido and the Fukui coast (on the Sea of Japan) are both famous for their crab-there are certa in foods, such as fermented bean paste (miso "*~) and soy sauce (shoyu • 7111), that are found throughout the country. With such "universal" foods as these, strong regional identities emerge.
Miso is used in preparing a wide variety of dishes: to thicken soup, make sauces, and as a seasoning in ground meat and fi sh dishes . When a Japanese chooses a light, medium or dark kind of miso it is not unlike a European d isplaying his or he r regional preference for a certain kind of local cheese. Particularly with miso shin1 P;J;:~it (broth flavored with fermented bean paste) , Japanese show their deep regional roots. In general, the northeastern portion of the country favors dark, pungent aka miso ~'*~ (literally "red" bean paste, it is usually a deep mahogany brown color), while the southwestern parts of Japan prefer light, mellow shiro miso 8'*11('1 (literally " white" bean paste, it is golden in color) . It may sound trivial, but when a Japanese woman marries, she is expected to shift her regional taste buds along with her loyalties and adapt to her husband' s soup habits. The choice of which soy sauce to use in making simmered dishes (light colo red but salty flavored usukuchi l,~ 0 or deeply colo red, "sweeter" koikuchi il"' 0) displays strong regional pre ferences. Even the language used to describe it shows local prejudice. People from the Kansai area near Kyoto and Osaka will de cribe their " lig ht" soy auce as delicate and re fined, while folks from the Kanto Plain (Tokyo and its environs) will refer to the pale soy as ins ipid. Tokyoites will
• yummy= J:; v' L.. ~,.' o ishii • archipelago = 911 &'~ rello • identities = f"(!) t:I1!!1Jt!!1i(!)~IH1 11. IW11 sono tochilchilrO no dokuj.isei. kosei • pungent = iA "';I• f.t I ll't,. ' moroyaka-11a I amai • trivial = ~*IH f.t sasai-11a • taste buds = P~'i(f I '*it2irf m irai I mikaku kika11 • delicate and relined = YUill-t."l• l• ,..
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17
The many functions of meishi Why are meishi ("business cards") so important? Because this one card can perform many useful functions.
It's o n 10 c ord Meishi are commonly 5.5 em tall and 9 em wide. Printed in this tiny space are the name of the company or organization, department, section, title, the person's full name, company address, telephone number, and fax number. A meishi serves as a kind of "ID card," not legally but in everyday situations. It identifies you in two ways: first as a physical being, and second as a social entity, or how other people should regard you. A meishi bearing the name of a well-known company or organization garners more respect than one with the name of an unknown company. In Europe or the United States, the company you work for is less important than your position or responsibilities in that company. In Japan, it's the company name which has the most significance. This is apparent when meishi are exchanged during an introduction. As mentioned earlier, after saying "Hajimemashite," a person states the name of the company before his or her personal name.
It's a passport A company is an independent nation in the world of business, and a "passport" is often necessary to enter another company's building. Meishi are used for this. When visiting a company for the first time, you will find yourself in an awkward position if you arrive without meishi.
Top corporations all have reception desks where visitors are requested to show their meishi. The receptionist may accept an excuse like, "Oh no, I left them in my other suit," but in certain cases the visitor may be denied entry and turned away. You may be permitted through "immigration," but you will be embarrassed again later, when meeting the person with whom you have the appointment. You will feel emptyhanded when the other person presents a meishi. It's the same uneasy feeling as when taking a friend or client out to dinner, your treat, and then discovering you've forgotten your wallet. Even if everything else goes smoothly, it's difficult for you both to keep this incident out of mind for the rest of the evening. In short, you can forget your wallet, lunch, or umbrella, but never your meishi.
It's a memorandum On the meishi you receive from someone, you can write the date, impressions you have of the person, or notes about the discussion you had. This information will stimulate your memory in case you meet that person again. These notes should be written afterwards, when you are alone. Otherwise, the other person will feel uncomfortable being "analyzed" on the spot.
It's on entry in on address book In Japan, season's greeting cards are sent to friends, relatives, and business acquaintances two times a year: in summer (shochu-mimat) and at New Year's (nengajO). There
are some Japanese who consider this custom an empty formality and want it abolished, but it has many adherents. The postal service even has to hire extra part-time workers to alleviate the workload. Meishi received are a vital reference when writing these cards or other correspondence. Well-organized people will diligently input name and address information in a computer; others will file them in a meishi folder. One often flips through the meishi folder before writing a card or letter. In certain cases a person's department or title may have changed from what is indicated on the meishi you received. Personnel changes usually occur in April and September, and when a person is transferred to another department, a notice is sent to his or her business associates or clients. A change can happen with short notice, though, and not all are informed about it. An associate may also overlook it in the piles of mail received each day. In writing a letter to the person, an error with the person's department is not a serious mistake, but to mark the title incorrectly can cause problems. A department chief identified as "section chief" would have hard feelings.
It can be an introduction card Suppose you are discussing business with someone or seeking his or her advice. This person may say, "I am not familiar enough with this matter. Let me introduce you to Mr. A who is." In this case, meishi are occasionally used as introduction cards. Your client or advisor will take out his or her own meishi, write "As an introduction to Mr. A. With best regards .. ." on it and present it to you. This little letter of introduction can open new doors for you.
It can serve as a receipt A meishi can be used as a simple receipt, when an actual one is not available, by writing the amount received, date and the pertinent information and stamping one's inkan seal on it.
It can be an IOU Entertaining a client, a man goes to pay the bill and discovers he is short of cash and has also left his other wallet full of credit cards in another suit. He writes the amount outstanding on his meishi as an IOU for the restaurant manager. This doesn't always work, of course. It helps if the man is well- dressed and his meishi is from a prestigious company. Since meishi printed with the name of a major company are more likely to be accepted as an emergency IOU, they are at times forged and used to trick restaurant proprietors. So, before giving out their meishi, persons with major social responsibilities, such as high government officials and well-known lawyers, write on the back the name of the person they are about to give it to and the date. This is to prevent the abuse of their meishi as described above. There are some public officials who take extreme precaution by never giving out their own meishi, even when they have received one from another person. Not all public officials observe this practice. A notable exception is politicians- they pass out their meishi like feeding bread crumbs to pigeons.
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' ~-:,i1'1~/
~~iN'ntES JAPAN ~un-
Next issue: the physiognomy of meishi
by Sowone Fumitoshi
JA
2-12 'iJUft: Jt-4F
**D-'f{~IB~~~~::anda surugadai Ful
~
miru kage see
shadow
'b tj:
<
~-tt-c v'
mo naku
i L. f.:.o
yasete-imashita.
there was not (even)
was skinny
" He was a mere shadow of his former self." • miru kage ="a shadow to see" - • "a visible shadow." Miru kage mo nai means "There is not even a shadow to see," and changing nai to naku makes this an adverb phrase modifying yaseteimashita. of -) t!. J. 0 ~ c Bi. li il' ~ ~ 0 Soda yo. Hone to kawa bakari sa. that's right
bones
and
skin/hide
Men who are not necessarily fat but whose bone structure (honegumi it *H.) is huge can be disparaged with words like these:
-? c.' udo -
*:95
':
~:~ somi
o-otoko
~~ chie
ni
ga
mawari-kane
big man entire body to wits/intelligence (subj)
can't go around
The brain power of a big man does not extend throughout his body. (That is how the proverb translates, but it's easier just to say, "You dumb lout.") • mawari-kane is a combination of mawari, from the verb mawaru ("go around/circulate") and kane, from the verb kaneru, which, when added on to another verb, means "cannot ..."
A David next to such a Goliath could be cut down with the following:
t? lv t? < ~ lv tj: ~ chinchikurin-na otoko- dwarfish man 'J'A kobito- pygmy, runt, shrimp -i"#;;Bi!i issun-boshi - Tom Thumb (lit., a one-inch monk) {iiJ? :t v t± - 1-~Bili t!. -::> -c ? Nani?
Ore wa
What?
I
issun-boshi da
tte?
as-for one-inch monk islam (quote)
" What? I'm a Tom Thumb?"
"ftf,f{
I± wa
Kisama
;J,A
ltlt.PI?Iv keshikaran
l:~lj:lt'
tJ'o ja nai ka.
kobito
you (derog.) as-for insolent/disgraceful dwarf/pigmy
aren't
(?)
"Why, you' re nothing but an insolent runt, aren't you!" • ore is a rough/informal masculine word for "I/me." • kisama is a very rough and derogatory word for "you."
only (emph.)
''That's right. He's j ust skin and bones." (PL2) • kawa can be used to refer to the "skin" of fruits and vegetables, the "hide" of animals, and a number of other figurative "skins," but the usual word for human skin is hifu (Bl/1).
Wags who wish to personalize this description can construct such names as: ~
great awkward oaf
Bi. T 1.: T- Honekawa Sujiko
(Miss) Sujiko Honekawa (lit., Miss Sinewy Bonehide) • suji (Mi) means "sinew/tendon," and adding ko (T) makes the word sound like a girl's name.
This reminds me of how a friend once depicted such a woman. He said, "Putting your arms around her is like putting your arms around a sack of antlers." Such ridicule can be extended to men by using the name:
1tBl T L:. .t3
Honekawa Sujio (Mr.) Sujio Honekawa (The final o indicates it is a male name, whereas a final ko signals a feminine name.)
There is a class of Buddhist ascetics who fast for religious purposes. Like Mahatma Gandhi, these holy men usually do not have enough excess fat on them to feed a gnat for a day. They are called if~ rakan - skin-and-bones Buddhist fanatics (the word was once applied to Buddha's five hundred disciples who had entered into the state of Nirvana.) In the last extreme, those fleshless ones become mere ~ ~ t J.> ~ ikeru shikabane- living corpses.
The Body and Physical Attributes Face t: ~ r.Jt!. I? ~t l,.. J. ?
~ ,,.
mar
iJ' ;>j:? ka na?
Saiban de uuaerarent
Jj
t..-1.:.:'1::
~PI! A.
~
.:.
''? 1/A,.'{ ~
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.-a:~:: T o fiiJ$ ~ Ri.!I'IJl.:f;¥ i? :it:, tt Q) -!Jf- All:it-1 t:t 00 -r: li, m:t=IJ >a: 'lt• tJ~ 1 \•·l.•f.!A. O•A.~( It,,..:. ''~"' tl'~"( J9ifut'ltQ) - p3U: 1..- "'(~ .:t J.>n!rPJ-IJ~- ~~.:~ IJ, :::: -r: ri-t-tL>a:- &:~!-? "'(v' J.:, 'b Q) o Calvin & Hobbes, copyright
e
1987 Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved. Reprinted/translated by permission of Editors Press Service,
M ANGAJIN
.Y.
31
(0\'liN ~ HobbeS ~RlSI\
Calvin: "Dad How do oeogle make babies?" ~ J'{r~, J;.lvf.t. c'-J ~-::> ""( iffi-1? ~lv Papa, dad
minna
do
~
-:> -r ~ --c , -+ t.:. ", -r ", (J) A I± t.:. t.:. ':/ 7 - .:t "" fT -::> -r , -t "J 1- ~ Taitei no hito
wa
most people
tada
Shiiizu
e
iue,
setto
Sears
to
go
sellkit
as-for just
~IY'liD setsumeisho
(/)
mjf-
1: tt.-::> ""( *-'l. J;. JL. ""( 0 t..:lt
110
shiji
ni slritagaue kumitateru
instruction sheet 's instructions to
put together
follow
dake
nkaue kite,
0
(obj.) buy and bring home
~0 sa.
only/just (emph.)
• Sears li *~C7)*~1'f.J Tl~- r C7)~n1J o • assembly instructions *H.h.j! -rmff-o Instructions li..: C7)ff,P*1:1i:iffif§'!l, Calvin: "I came from Sears??"
~ t.:. -::> ""( k.ara kita 11e
-+ If< I± ':/ 7 - ;/:. fJ' C:> Boku wa
shiiizu
Vme as-for
Sears
"'
mrr~ ~ fflv'
.o o
(J)??
iu -) no??
from came (quote) say
(ex plan.)
Father : "IN.__y_ou were a blue light sgecial at K Mart. Almost as aood and a lot cheaoer." ~ "'~, .t:>M I± K7 - !-- (J) ilf!~fillio"b t..: -::> t.:. lv t.!.o ':/ 7 - ;/:. (J) t lya, no
omae wa, you as-for
I± ~Pi lri11shitsu wa
.•
quality
n da. Kei miito 110 clro-toldcahi" daua KMart 's super-special price item were (explan.) is
-t- tt. 1:1 e:· sorehodo
as-for that much
t.t. ", 1t e:·,
~ b t:> k.awaranai
kedo,
isn't different
but
Shiiizu Sears
no
/0
's with
i'-::>c
1i: fJ' -::> t.:.
lv
t..: J:. o
zutto
yasuk.atta
II
da
yo.
much/by far was cheap (explan.) is (emph.)
-r
.o
r .o n .o ..: n
K Mart 9: :!: tJ! 7t IJ !fm (7,) * ~ (7,) 1 A tJ ? ::.-- r A r 7 o Sears t !t""' t ~ tJ! tJr 0 blue light special ~filii£, ;-{ - ?''/ .fbo K Mart "'(' li t.: 1 J: IJ 7tlm ,._ 7 ::.-- 717)-? "' t.:?l: IJ :1-,g;--c" t::. "' A, 71 Jv r'f 1 / 1: fPJ Anata, dear
•
32
MAN GAJtN
~
Er-::>""Co
illai
ima
Karuvi11
IIi /lOIIi
(emph.)
now
Cal vin
to what (obj.) are saying
dear 7C MU.l'l ~ *Jl -/J' c_, =f "'-, \J: 11f~ i/. .!; ( ~bh.O o
l
h.~
0
itte-ru
(J)?
no? (explan.)
..: ~ "( f~-? P/f'-tf-/J' IT (7,) H~ o
..: 17)
1t!! sweetheart, honey
lj:
t'b
0•-nt.!!lii1tMB
OL Shinkaron
fi Pal (effect of scattering salt)
Boss: -f IJ
~
Sorya
±13l{A. IJ
o
dohyo-iri.
as for that entering a sumo ring
"That (way) is (for when you) enter the sumo ring." - ''That's how they do it for sumo." (PL2) • sorya is a contraction of sore wa ("as for that''). • note that they appear to be throwing the salt out in front of them, as if into a dohyo ("sumo ring"), rather than sprinkling it over themselves. © Akizuki Risu, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by KOdansha Ltd. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through KOdansha Ltd.
M ANGAJIN
43
~®Pta OBATARIAN by
:tJffi 83 tJ~ -::> v z: Hotta Katsuhiko The name Obatarlan was coined from the two words: obasan - literally "aunt" but also used as a generic term for middleaged/adult women, and, batarian - the Japanese title for the American movie Return of the living dead-a reference to the "battalions" of zombies in the film. Obatarian is used as a generic term for this type of c haracter, but it's also used as if it were her name (this is similar to the use of the word obasan). The word has now become a part of the Japanese language. In this series Obatarian is most commonly drawn as the plump character with tight curly hair, but there are also other embodiments.
44
MANGAJIN
**"-C.to
Narr ation: ·::H>I: 7-fA?"'// ~ Tsui-ni raimu mashin o finally
time machine
5i:Jilt~-ttt.: ft± li, ktmsei saseta hakushi wa, mtrat e
(obj.)
completed
~t!.-:Jf.:o
tabidatta.
professor as-for future to (quote) departed on journey
"The professor who finally completed a time machine departed o n a journey to the future. - Havin finall com le te d his time machine the rofessor took a tri into the future. ( PL2) Sound FX: ~~~~~ ... Bi bi bi bi (effect of humming/buzzing or other dull, repetitive noise made by machinery)
i- :. 1.' ~~ tJt soko de kare ga
Narr ation : L '/J' L Shikashi
but/however there at
he
~ t.: {> ~ li .. . mira mono wa .. .
(subj.) saw thing as-for
But what he saw there was •• •
• kansei saseta is the causative ("make/let") form of kansei suru ("to complete/perfect"). Tsui ni taimu mashin o kansei saseta is a complete thought/sentence ("finally made complete a time machine") modifying hakushi (or hakase, "professor/doctor"). • tabidatta is the plain/abrupt past form of tabidatsu, from rabi ("journey") and tatsu ("depart"; t changes to d for euphony). • mila is the plain/abrupt past form of min1 ("see"), and soko de kare ga mila is a complete thought/sentence ("he saw there") modifying mono ("thing'').
-r
Professor: lj: , lj: lv Na. nan te
:. c.
t!.'
koto da.
wh- what {quote) thing is
" Wh- what's the ex lanation for this - "
Kakusenso de sekai ga
hametsu shita
to
wa.
nuclear war by world (subj.) was destroyed (quote) as-for
"(that) the world has been d estroyed by nuclear war?" (PL2)
• te is a colloquial equivalent of the quotative to iu, so nan re koto literally means "a thing called/described/explained as what?" Asking a question with da is very rough/forceful, so nan te koro da has the feeling of an astonished/exclamatory "What the heck/hell (is this/is going on)?!" • we have treated this as a case of inverted syntax, viewing the first line as what would normally follow the end of the second. Another way to view it is as an exclamation of astonishment ("What in the world?!") followed by an incomplete second sentence implying an ending something like odoroila ("am astonished/surprised") or shinjirarenai ("can't believe"): "I'm astonished/can't believe that the world has been destroyed by nuclear war.'"
Professor:
J\ ':J
Hal (effect of catching his breath with a start)
i- -) 1l'o
Professor: :1 :!f 7 1) !! Gokiburi! cockroach
So ka. (interj. of recognition/understanding)
"A cockroach! Ahaa!" (PL2) :l&~.t
~
~:tt
Chilcyii-jo no seibursu on earth
's
"('
-:fi
de
ichiban seimei-ryoku no
life fonns among most
:! :!f 7' 1) t!.lt iJf
:. -) L -r
gokiburi dake ga
ko shire
cockroach only (subj.) in this way
''The cockroach alone (PL2 implied) Sound FX:
~tfr;'j]
life force
~~
J:l h -r
tsuyoi
(subj.) is strong
.. .
ikinokotte .. . has survived
that m ost resilient of life fo rms on earth -
has s urvived like this."
ff"T :f"t Gasa gosa (rustling sound)
• chikyii no seibursu de ichiban seimei-ryoku no rsuyoi is a complete thought/sentence ("has the strongest life force/resilience among life forms on earth") modifying gokiburi ("cockroach"). • ikinokotte is the-re form of ikinokoru, from ikiru ("to live/be alive") and nokoru ("remain") - "has remained living" - "has survived.''
0
Sound FX: rC/ ;\ / ;\ /' Ban ban ban Blam b lam balm (sound of bashing cockroach)
e Hona Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by Take Shotxl, TOkyO. English translation rights arranged through Take Shotxl. MA NG A JI N
45
f;tlflll» OBA TARIAN
by
[!]
:tmi EE tY-::> V Z: I Hotta K a t s uhiko Cover Stor : .f* Aki
mffi!>.
(J)
no Ryiiko-shoku
aulUmn 's
• ryiiko refers to things that are "popular/fashionable/in vogue." • Non-no and Men 's Non -no are fashion magazines; needless to say, Oba 's Non-no does not actually exist.
0)
_;~
.. ..
t:::; §
popular colors
This Fall's New Colors
3f-K
0
Cover Storv: iilt ff Ryiiko
~
ii'1 .: ~ T
o
kikonasu
fashions (obj.) wear welVskillfully
Wearine the Fashions Stylishl_y
Men:s ~
• kikonasu is from kiru (''wear") and -konasu, which is added to other verbs to imply that the action is done "well/skillfully/thoroughly" -. (when speaking of wearing clothes) "sty lishly."
Cover Stor ,cf> .
iitt fT RyiikO
ga
doslzita!
fashions (subj.) what/how did
Wha t About F ash ion?
Fashion - Who ares? (PL2) Obatariao 1: i}\;t.: < -nr I? o kiru.
of one piece dress(es) (obj.) wear
Obatarians wear one- ieee Arrow: 1]\ ~ ~ ~EW'i (/)-;' 1) / r ~~
(PL2)
Chiisa-na hanagara no purinro moyo small nower panem of printed pattern
A small floral- rint attern • ... ga do slzita makes a colloquial expression like "(topic/subject) - what of it?/so what?/who cares?" • naranai is the negative of naru ("become"). Shiwa ni na ru = "become wrinkled." • poriesuteru, wan piisu, and purimo are katakana rendering of the English words. • kiru means " put on/don/wear" for clothing that involves putting arms through sleeves. • clziisa-na is an alternate form of the adjective chiisai ("small/little"). • gara, whe n speaking of fabric, refers to a " pattern" printed on or woven into the c loth: moyo is a more generic word for "pattern/design."
C Houa Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in J apan in 1990 by Take ShobO. Tllkyll. English translation rights arranged through Take Shobll.
4 6
M A N GAJtN
tllflMI
by
:tftt EE :t.J~--:::> V' .::: I Hotta Katsuhiko Narration: :t '~"'
7 / ti 1J- V ~
1 )
Obatarian
OBATARIAN
wa
obatarian
klido
;t v :.-Orenji
riyiJ shinai.
as-for card(s) (obj.) doesn't make use
Obatarian doesn' t use Salesman:
:fiJ.ffl l t.t. "' o
o
:; 1J -
orange
I' "' fp nt
re aid cards. (PL2)
-r- T n'?
kiido
ikaga
desu ka?
card
how
is it?
" How about an Oran e Card?" (PL3) • prepaid cards for pay telephones and other services are popular in Japan. both for their convenience and as insurance against getting caught short of pocket change. Orenji kiido is the name of a prepaid card for train tickets. • riyiJ shinai is the negative form of riyiJ sum ("utilize/make use of'). • ikaga is a more polite/formal word for do ("how/what").
(2]
::.. ([)*. "'-? 1~ ~ n' b kono tsugi itsu tsukau ka
Obatarian: f: 1-v t;;., sonna,
that kind of next time
Jl: ~
when
use
n' I? t;;. "' b 1-v
?
"&; ';) t:. I? 1:. ffi 1ft
j3 ~
kart okane a/lara
Salesman: t:? , t: o
Berabo-mei! " Damn!" (PL I) • berabO-mei! is an exclamation used by Edokko (..children of Edo" = "native Tokyoites'') meaning "(that's) idiotic/ridiculous/outrageous." and it also serves as an all- purpose curse. -Mei! is a dialect version of the pejorative suffix -me.
[3]
Sound FX: ;{ ~-
'l
Crack! (effect of golf club hitting ball)
Bashii!
Tochl!!!;. .:. lv f?
t.:tt.~-v'-:> o 0-kusottare-me- i!
" 0-kusottare-mei!'' (PL I) Friend: i> t ·:::H t I? ~ "' "' 0
o
tsukerya
"o-" (obj.) ir attach
ii
-:> -r t lv t: ~ f.t "' .t 0 1/e
mon
is good/enough (quote) thing
ja 11ai IS not
yo
(em ph.)
"It's not a thing where it's enough to just add o-." " ust addin o- isn' t enou h." (PL2) • kusollare (or kusotare), with or without the pejorative suffix -me(i). is used to call someone an "S.O.B./ass," and it's also another widely used curse of ch agrin. Since it's literally a scatalogical reference, it has a somewhat cruder feeling than the other two curses. lochan thought he could make it more "gen tee I" merely by adding the honorific prefix o-. • tsukerra is a contraction of tsukereba, a conditional ("if') form of tsukeru ("affix/attach"). The -ba form of a verb plus ii (''good/fine") makes an express ion meaning "it's enough to ... /all you have to do is ..."
e Tachibanaya Kikutaro. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 b) Take: ShobO. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO. 48
M ANGAJI N
:5L :fE 1M ~ ;t!lB Y Tachibanaya Kikutaro
b
Tochan:
flii
~'-'S"(>/v,
Kiichan,
Beranmei Tochan
klichan (an informal okiisan, "mother") is the female counterpart of tifchan (an informal otosan, "father") in the title of this series. Married couples often address and refer to one another this way once they have kids.
ii
Oya mii,
da
11101
nei.
well well/my, my good/fine smell/fragrance is (colloq.)
"M
m
the smell nice don't the ?" (PL2)
• oya mii is an exclamation of mild surprise, "well well/my, my." Oya and mli can also be used separately for the same effect. • neat the end of a sentence expects or assumes the listener agrees. Nei is a dialect version of ne.
[2]
Tochan: L ~' L, Shikashi,
t:t. AJ! t:t. nan da
7 ,
nli,
bulfhowever (interj.) (colloq.)
"But
ou know . .."
1t
I±
Hana
wa
~
v't.: tH:' . . .
saita
kedo . . .
blossoms as-for bloomed but .. .
"the blossoms have bloomed, but . . ." (PL2) • nan da is literally "what is it?'' but here is being used as a pause/hesitation word, something like "you know," as he momentarily contemplates what he sees before going on. • na is an informal and mostly masculine equivalent of ne; here it's part of the verbal pause (a frequent use of Ill! in the middle of a sentence) and lengthening it to nli extends the pause slightly.
0
Tochan:
~ #:,
~t
Umeboshi
ga
t:t.-:::> "( t.lnaue-ne
t:t. o na.
dried/pickled plums (subj.) arcn 't growing on it (colloq.)
" there aren't any umeboshi growing on it." (PL2) Kachan: ;< tJ t! b v' o -t- ~ "(> :fE t;t ~-:::> "( ~, C:> t!.. J:. o Baka da
nei.
fool is/are (colq)
Sorya
hana
ga
chitte kara da yo.
as for that blossoms (subj) after scatter is
(emph)
"Sill ! Those come after the blossoms fall." (PL2) futy: fiX '? t.: '? "( ~ ;i{:, t:t. lv ~' t:t. lv bJ:.
0
Chiuaue
umeboshi
nanka
nanne
yo.
even after scatter pickled plums thing like won't grow on it (emph.)
"Umeboshi won' t row on it even after the blossoms fall." (PL2) • ume are ''Japanese apricots," often translated as "plums," and -boshi means "dried" (from Jwsu, "to dry"). Umeboshi are ume first pickled in salt water with red shiso leaves, and then partially dried. • 11atte-ne is a slang contraction of natte-inai, negative of natte-iru, which is the progressive ("is/are - ing") form of naru ("be borne as fruit"-> "grow on [a tree/plant]"). The boy's nanne is a contraction of naranai, the negative fom1 of naru. • sorya is a contraction of sore wa ("as for that"). • chiue is the -te form of chiru ("scatter"), and kara (lit. "from") after the -te form of a verb means "since/after (the action took/takes place)." Chittalle is a colloquial equivalent of chiue mo, "even if/when [they] scatter.'' © Tachibanaya Kikutaro, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 by Take ShobO, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.
MANGA J IN
49
,u,-:~~
Ueda Masashi's
Furiten-kun '*
Title: ~ .:t
Teislru-:.oku husband tribe
T he Hus bands • reis/111 is an infonnal word for "husband." • zoku, literally ·•tribe," is used for referring to various groups that are seen as having a "culture" of their own. It could be translated "subculture" in some cases. but that seems a bit excessive here.
Ma n: J.J.-?
c b ~ ~_,,
Miuomonai
-?-:>
t.!o
yarsu
da.
unbecoming/disgraceful guy/fellow is
" What a dis2race he is." (PL2) .'f\11'~
Man: -t(fiJ. 1:
v'li'"?ttC,tL"'C' ...
Nyobo ni kaimono iirsukerarere . .. wife
by shopping be !Old lo/ordered-and
" Being told by his wife to go shopping and .. ." " Lettinsz. his wife tell him to do the shQp_Itinl! a nd . . ." (PL2)
• • • •
miuomonai essentially means " looks bad," both in the sense of "unbecoming/shabby/unsightly'' and in the sense of " losing face/being disgraced." ya/Sit is an infonnallrough word for •·fellow/guy." here serving to emphasize a feeling of derision. nyobo is an infonnal word for "wife." kaimono is a noun deri ved from kau ("buy") and mono ("thing"). It can refer to any shopping. but it typically means "grocery shopping/marketing." The panicle o. to mark the direct object. has been omitted after kaimono. iirsukerarete is the passive-reform of iirsukeru ("tell/order/instruct [to]"). The -re form acts like English "and" to connect this clause with the c lause in the next frame.
Ma n:
.:L
L.. "'(
7 o /
epuron
shire
apron
do/wear shopping cart lhing like
kiiro
nanka
hippatte. pulling
"wearing an apron, and pulling a shopping car t." (PL2) • epuron is from the English "apron," and shire is the -re fonn of suru (literally "do" but in this case meaning "wear"). • kiiro is from English "cart.'' Since so much of the grocery shopping is done on foot. whether at the neighborhood gree ngrocer/butcher/fishmonger or at a nearby supermarket, carts like the one shown in frame one are popular among Japanese housewives. • nanka is a colloquial nado ("a thing/things like"), and is often used to belittle/put dow n the item(s) mentioned. • lrippalle is the -re fonn of lripparu ("puiVdraw").
0
Man: j,· L..
li
Sukoshi wa a linle
a1
7J-{: 7 7 - :J :z.. L.. ~ 11' 0 kamofuriiju
leas! camouflage/disguise
slriroi. do
"(He s hould) at leas t use some camoufla e." (PL2) • the particle wa after a number/quantity often has the emphatic meaning of "at least.'' • kamofurclju is a katakana rendering of "camouflage." • slriroi is a colloquial/slang shiro, the abrupt command form of suru ("do''). J.>c
l: ? c
i
~
l..lt'o
Tehon no kanojo wa jitto mitsumeru to I nabushii. example/model (=) she/her as-for fixedly/i ntently if look/stare at bli nding/dazzling As for she who is my model/example, if I look steadily at he r, s he is dazzling. - M v 2irlfriend is radia n t as I watc h her closelv to follow he r moveme nts. (PL2) no here is again like "who is": rehonno kanojo ="she who is [my] example/model." mirsumeru means "look/stare/gaze fixedly/intently at," so jitto is essentially redundant. butjitto mirs umeru is a common combination. To after the plain form of a verb can give a conditional " if/when'' meaning. mabushii used to describe a woman refers to "dazzling/radiant bea uty."
r·""" r"""
Doki doki Thumo t humQ (effect of heart beating hard)
It t •
iX~(j:l,.\1,.\
ttPJ
1Jf
-tfA..-tfA..
~?"'( .0
f !
lsei wa ii kedo ga chigatte-ru Juri unzen zo! vigorous/energetic but dance movements (subj.) completely are differentlwrong (emph.) " You' ve 20t lots of en er 2v. but vour mo ve m ents are aU wro ng," (PL2)
Sound FX:
I.
Q) I~/
Papan no pan Papan no pan (clapping with a special beat)
1;{ b' Man: Hlt'i:> "' !:- t, ~A., iX~ eraku ga ii Oi oi. Niichan, tset ne. hey hey brother/young man very power/spirits (subj.) good (colloq. emph.) " Hey there, buddy, you' ve 2ot a lot of e ne rgy, don' t you." (PL2)
Sound FX:
0
I' Urasawa Naoki, All rights reserved. First pubh~hed 10 Japan
in 1992 by Shogakukan, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Shogakukan and Viz Commu01catoons..
MANGAJ tN
69
Ya waral
70
MAN G AJIN
Yawara !
QJ
Maeazine:
~ 9C.
lkuji
(!)
no
IX.
Tomo
child rearing 's friend/companion
_C_hild-Rearer's Comoanion • ikuji combines kanji for "raise/nurture" and "child" to make a noun meaning "child rearing." • magazines targeted at specific audiences often have titles in the form - no Torno, literally "- 's Friend/Companion.'' One of the biggest is Shufu no Tomo. " Housewife's Companion."
Yawara:
:f* / .. .
Gohon ... (effect of a si ngle cough or of clearing throat) Sound FX: 7f 1- ~ Cacha Click (sound of door latc h)
F eature•Story (continued from page 13)
try is run; the monolithic press, rather than reflecting public opinion, manufactures it on behalf of adminis trators." What do you think of that? I tend to agree with what he says, but also disagree when he goes on to portray a sort of systematic conspiracy against the opposition which prevents the m from taking over the government. The Socialists are the leading candidates to take over, but they are so ineffective they cannot win the support of the people. Do you think the press in J a pan a dequate ly represents the view of the public when it comes to trade issues? I think the Japanese public's position is, "well, that's not our business, we'll leave trade to the government." In opinion polls the responses range wildly from "yes, we have to open our market more" to " no, we are already open." But genera lly, I don't be lieve the public really thinks that much about it. In his boo k Yen !, Da nie l Burs tein quotes a Japa nese executive as saying something like " Japan is the best ex-
a mple of socialism t hat h as ever evolved." Do you agree? Some of the eastern European states and Russia send people over to Japan for training, and I have heard indirectly that many of them say "this is exactly what we were trying to do." People like Chalmers Johnson have bounced around terms such as "national development economy" for years. The point is that the principles of capitalism don' t work in Japan the way they do in the US. One MITI bureaucrat recently wrote a book in which he frankly stated that it is misleading to look at Japan in capitalistic terms. Employees control Japanese companies, so the fundamental definition of capitalism doesn't apply. Also, banks and insurance companies that own stock are generally passive. What's your view on Japa n ' s world role, now a nd in the future? I think Japan is trying to resist a major role, and do as little as it can to get by. This is one of my great frustrations about Japan, because I think they have the potential to make major positive con-
tributions, and I don't mean just merely providing more money. The idea front i where they would be a great help, but they refuse to make any proposals. They want to avoid standing out as the proverbial nail. The easiest way to do this is to basically see what America is going to do, then wait for the first 80 members of the UN to cast their ballots. thereby determining which side is going to win, and that 's the one we'll side with-not always the best policy. I remember a speech given in 1970 by a Bank of America executive, who said the thing Americans most want to know is when Japan is going to assume an international role of leadership and what is that role going to be? That was 23 years ago. Perhaps we ought to start taking a look at the possibility that the event everybody is predicting isn't going to come. What is most important for Americans to know about J a pan? First of all, one recent development in American reporting on Japan involves the notion that somehow the "sun is ink(cominued on page 75)
• monolithic = 7i::@: ~: f,t- ~ :Itt:. kanzen-ni toitsu sareta • conspiracy = ~ ~ inblJ • ineffective= 1W; 1J I P,~ n~ mu~·oku 1 muno • fundamental definition = fl;!.::~ft konpon teigi • passive= ffl~B'-]1:5;17 A IJ l,.. IJ: v' sekkyokuteki-ni wakeiri shinai • frustrations = lflili fuman • proverbial= .:. c b e·Q)
/ :fl:ts IJ: kotowaza nolyiimei-na
MA NGAJtN
7 1
Yawara/
7 2
M ANG A JI N
Yawara/
Yawara:
w t T- ~ lv! Fujiko-san!
(namc)-(hon.)
"FujikQl" • Fujiko is a given name: the receptionist calls her by surname in the next frame. The honorific suffix -san, which is added to people's surnames for politeness like " Ms./Mr." in English. is commonly used with given/ "first" names as well - much more than "Ms./Mr." are used with first names in English and wilhout any feeling of humor/incongruity/affectedness.
Re~tionist: W~r ~ lv o
Ito-san. (namc)-(hon.)
" Ms. Ito." • Japanese -san is used for anyone, without regard to gender or marital status, so for women it has always been equivalent to "Ms." rather than " Miss" or " Mrs."
[I)
Receptionist:
.If f I li Kyo wa
~
1JJ ,;' t f4 shoshin-ryo
o
n
$; C: 4500fiJ 1: '.1: I) '£ t' o fukumete yonsen gohyaku-en m narimasu.
1oday as-for firs1 cxaminalion/visil charge (obj.) including
4500 yen
(obj.)
becomes
"{You r:__bill) today, including the first-visit charge, comes to ¥45_(!0_." (PL3)
• Mslto (often read ltatm in other combinations) means "first'' and~ shin is an abbreviation of ~flf shinsatsu, referring to a doctor's examination of a patient. Ryo is a suffix meaning ''fee/charge for-." • ful..umete is the -te fo rm offukumeru ("include/contain"). • narimasu is lhe PL3 form of naru ("become"): the preceding ni marks lhe result of lhe " becoming."
I2J
Yawara:
~ .Z , 'M±-1- ~ lv,
t • -J .. .
Fujiko-san,
do . . .
(inlcrj.) (name)-(hon.)
howlwhal
Ne.
"So Fuj_iko what •.." (PL2-3) Receptionist: jS k "1~ 1: 0-daiji ni
'.1: ~ It' '£ -tt o nasaimase.
(hon.)-preciously/carefully
plea t:. Fujiko-san
(narnc)-(hon.)
do
(J)?
datta
no?
was
(explan-?)
how/whal
" Fujiko, how was it?'' -+ "Fujiko what did the doctor say?" (PL2) • dtuta is the past form o f da. the PL2 equivalent of desu ("is/are"). No shows she is asking for an explanation. Asking a question with 110 is very common in informal speech, especially among female speakers and children.
Sign:
Mill i~Hm A~31-
Ueda Sanfujin-ka Ucda Ob-Gyn Clinic
Yawara: ·1;1' I: f ~ lv C: Fujiko-san te (name)-(hon.)
(i!! ba!
(quote) (cmph.)
"Fujiko, I say!" (PL2) • the suffix H (-ka) designates departments/specializations of study and medical practice. • te ba is used like the e mphatic tag, " I say." It's actually a colloquial contraction of to ieba, the quotative particle to plus the -ba form of iu (''say"). Since the -bt1 form makes a conditional "if,'' ... te ba literally means "if I say." implying emphatic expressions like " If I say -, I really mean - ," or " If I call you/ask you a question. I really want a response."
M A NGA JIN
73
Yawaral
74
MAN GAJ IN
Yawara/
" Sound" FX: A 7 A 7 Suta suta (effect of walking briskly)
Yawara: 1~; J:.: f ~ lv . . . Fujiko-san .. .
"Fu ' iko." (PL2-3) FX: 1:::"7 Pita (effect o f coming to a halt)
Yawara: .t:>~tT~Iv . Oisha-san
f.t.l-v "l
nan
te
(hon.)-doctor·(hon.) what (quote)
~·-?-rt:.
itte-ta said
{/),
hl"±-T~Iv?
110,
Fujiko-san ?
{explan.-?) (name)-(hon.)
" What did the d octor~ Flljiko?" (PL2) •
• • • • •
female speakers typically refer to doctors with both the honorific prefix o- and the honorific suffi x -san. M ale speakers are more likely to dispense with the honorifics- though they can use honorifics, too. without sounding especially feminine. I f honorifics are used. both the prefix and su ffix must be used together. wa, for marking the topic of the sentence. has been omitted after oisha-san. nan is a contraction o f ncmi ("what"). re is a colloquial equivalent o f quotati ve ro. ille-ra is a contraction of ille-ira ("was saying/said"), the plai n/abrupt past form of ille-im (''is saying"), from iu ("say"). as i n English, the name of the person being addressed in a question can come either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
F e a t u r e • S t o r y
(cominued f rom page 71)
ing" on Japan and the " bubble has burst" and will not expand again. Or, mo re simply, " it's a ll over for Japan." All of which I think is a bunch of bull. We seem to go to the extremes, one year worrying about the Japanese becoming too strong and the next year overjoyed because they' ve collapsed . I certainly would recommend both vie ws be te mpered somewhat. But if you wish tote mper one more than the other, I would certainly temper the view of Japan's de mise. The investment that they went th roug h in the last three or four years a lone will be e nough to sustain a solid economy for the next I0 years.
On a personal level, what do Americans need to know about the J apanese?
from Japan on the so-called shinjinrui, o r ne w human be ings, is Oippant and fashionable, but in my observatio n the new human be ings now are no t that much d ifferent from th e ir cou nterp a rts in 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. T here were always some people who eschewed respons ibility and enjoyed leisure. It was just the me thod o f play ing that was different. The o ne thing abo ut the younger people that does seem a little di fferent to me than it did in the 1960s is that there is mo re critici m or more disillusionment with what Japan is today than there was in the '60s, i.e., things like graft and corruption, and nobody ever seems to be able to do any thing to change that. The political situation is truly o ne that causes a huge amount of disi llusionment.
I think it's essential that Americans understand the Japanese are not getting lazy. So me of the reporting be ing done
So you ' re saying they ' r e becoming more a pathetic?
They' re becoming significantly more apathetic. This is not restricted to the new human beings, but is expressed by the new human be ings mo re c le arly tha n some o f the older human be ings. The other po int is American people go o ut o f their way to look fo r negative c ha racte ris tics in the Japanese , as if searching for a straw to grasp hold o f, hoping Japan will co llapse and become weak. The most prominent of these is the continued theory that the Japanese are just imitators, not innovators.
What do you think is most importa nt for Japanese to know about Americans? The most important thing is that divers ity is a stre ngth, no t a wea kness. Americans can be very lazy and letharg ic on a daily basis, but when an internatio nal c risis occurs they rally together (continued on page 77)
-n -r /
• a bunch o f bull = 't" t.; &? I -1:: /A derarame I nan\l'nSII • be tempered = {II &? If 7.> yawarageru • demise= ~ ;t lv slu7en • flippant = u~ ~ keihaktl-IUt • esche w= il!l:tt 7.> sakeru • disillusionment = i Jiti. genmersu • graft and corruption = i'ilfll:'(>~l/.Uii o.~ltaktl ya s/u7wai • apmhc tic = Kl"i;R I~ llij.(., reilan/mukanshin ; pron1incnt ~~iL -? l ~ ' 6 J.iwadalle-iru • diversity= ~~~11: tayosei • lethargic= M;~(h mukiryok11
=
M ANGAJ I N
75
Yawara l
t.= 10 ~F.J
L' 10
OB
76
MANGAJ I N
Yawara!
f!_ -? ""( 0 Fujiko: IOfl 10 8 Jiigatsu taka da tte. October tenth day is/will be (quote) " He said it'll be October lOth." (PL2)
.. da is the PL2 equivalent of desu ("is/are/will be"). depending on what it follows, the quotative te (colloquial equivalent of to) becomes tte. Here it implies the verb itte-ita ("was saying/said").
Yawara: X. ...
E ... huh?/what? " Huh?" (PL2) Fuiiko:
a'l:lii:
7 5£ B o
Shussan yotei-bi. childbirth schedule/plan -day "My due date." (PL2)
. W. .
san (often o-san, with the honorific o-) by itself also refers to "childbirth/delivery," but slmssan is the preferred form in certain related terms. A more technical term for referring to labor and delivery is )tlzjt bunben. yotei ="schedule/plan/expectation" and yoteibi ="scheduled/expected/due date."
Yawara: ~±i'-~lv ... Fujiko-san ... "Fujiko .. •" (PL2-3)
F e a t u r e • S t o r y
(continued from page 75)
under the flag very quickly. They should have learned that at Pearl Harbor. What's the most s ignificant event you've covered? From my perspective in Japan, events are not really events but rather processes. For example, the reaction in Japan to the floating of international currency rates in 1971 caused a tidal wave of doom and disaster predictions. An appreciating yen was supposed to make Japanese exports more expensive-very scary for a country whose economy is driven by an "export or die" mentality. But it took two o r three years to see that it was neither doom nor disaster. Things like these are no t one-day events or even compressed into several months. These processes went on for several years, and it was only perhaps a year after completion that what happened became obvious.
Are there a ny particular Japanese you 've enjoyed d ealing with or adm ir ed ? Well, the ones I particularly enjoyed were prime ministers Kakuei Tanaka, Yasuhiro Nakasone and, less so as a politician than as a human being, Masayoshi Ohira, who was j ust about one of the finest people I ever knew. Mr. Tanaka because he got things done; his nickname was the "computerized bulldozer," which was quite accurate. Mr. Nakasone was the firs t prime minister to attempt a leadership role for Japan in the world. But because he was the first , he didn't go as far in that direction as I would've liked. I first met Mr. Nakasone in 1962 when Japan' s national mood was still in the gloom o,f defeat, and most Japanese were almost ashamed of anything Japanese. What l most enjoyed and admired about him was that
he was not. He was not proud or supponive of militaristic or authoritarian traditions, but took pride in being Japanese. It's very difficult to have any kind of a relationship with a person who does not have personal pride. What are the most significan t changes yo u 've seen in Japan in your years there? Well, the biggest single change that I've seen would be going from what I just described, the gloom, defeat and shame that overshadowed all of Japan when I arrived in 1960, to an appropriate level of pride. Some might call it inappropriate. It's certainly a very different country than it was when I first arrived. And in spite of all the graft and corruption that's been revealed in the last few years, I like the current Japan much more than the former Japan.
• perspective= JUt!!. kenchi •tidal wave= i,:!l"i!l{ wmami • doom and disaster predictions = M(l~ t ·~.!Jj:ll)"'f:t!;\ hametsu to sanji no yoso • obvious= 1J11 B meihaku • gloom of defeat = !I!Oii\(O)~]ifi ilaise1lnO in'utsu • overshadow= ~~~flt~f7J'lt J., kage o nagekakeru
MANGAJIN
77
Yawsra/
78
MANGA JI N
Yawara!
Fujiko: J:- L- ,
iJ< !v li 7.>
-f'- !!
Yo-shi, ganbam zo-! okay/all right will work hard (emph.)
"Airi-i-e:ht! I'm e:onna e:ive it everytbine:.J've e:ot!" (PL2)
. . . zo
yoshi, often elongated, is an exclamatory/interjectory form of the adjective iilyoi ("good/fine"). It's used to show that one is ready to begin an action ("okay/all right, I' m gonna do it/let's do it"). ganbaru means to be "dogged/persistent/unflagging" in working toward some goal or facing some challenge. The word is used a great deal, but especially among athletes, and the command form, ganbare, is the most commonly heard cheer at sporting events. is a somewhat rough-sounding emphatic particle used mostly by males, but female speakers can use it. too . in very informal situations, or to express particularly strong determination.
t:t. 5t*t:t.
Fu'iko: iJ< !v li '?
"( ~n~ ~ ~v }}. t.:. "\ b J:- !! 7- t ~tInokuma-san mitai-na genki-na ko Ganbarte 0 umu wa yo! will work hard-and (nume)-(hon.) like energetic/strong child (obj.) will bear/give birth to (fern.) (cmph.)
. . . . . YJl_wara :
" I'm e:oinl!: to hanl!: in there a nd bear a strone:. healthv child like vou." (PL2) ganbarre is the -te form of ganbam (see note above). Here the -te form functions like "and'': ''will work hard/ hang tough and ... bear/give birth to" mitai after a noun means ''is like," and mitai-na is its adjective form. so lnokuma-san mitai-na ="like l nokuma-san," and Jnokwna-san mitai-na genki-na ko ="a child who is strong/healthy like lnokuma-san." genki is a noun referring to a vigorous state of health/energy, and genki-na is its adjective form, "healthy/energetic/strong." the informal particle for emphasis, yo. sounds very masculine after the plain form of a verb (here, umu, "bear/ give birth"), so female speakers typically add the mostly feminine particle t') wa and say ... wa yo. lnokuma isYawara's surname. In Japanese, it's quite common to refer to one's listener by name in situations where an English speaker would use "you."
-.i±7- ~ !v .. . Fujiko-san ...
"Fuiiko •.•" (PL2-3) Fu'iko: £t
li
~m L-!! ...
"(
b!
Haha wa tsuyoshi!! . . . te ne! mother as-for strong (quote) (colloq.)
"A mother is strone: ... they say. right?" (PL2)
.. so?"
tsuyoshi is the classical plain form of the adjective tsuyoi ("strong"). neat the end of a sentence expects or assumes agreement/confirmation from the listener, like "right?/isn 't it
Yawara: m±7-~lv
.. .
Fujiko-san ...
"Fujiko .. ." (PL2-3)
Pollticai•Cartoon (colllinuedfrom page 7)
is not very clear to the average Japanese citizen. (Our "translations" of the cartoon reflect this indistinct distinction.) This is one reason why the "citizens" in the cartoon are not quite sure what to think.
In the cartoon, the Diet is drawn as a sumo wrestler (his head is shaped like the Diet building). There is a selection of decorative "aprons," but no one can decide which one is the most becoming.
MAN G AJtN
7 9
Yawara l
n• 7 v "" e A. Jv It Jv ?t If
:1.
c
';I
"? D
*
I) ~
1i 0)
M
!!
M A N G A JI N
D
..,.~
;! Jv
-t -r
8 0
'l -t: {,
1:
Yawara!
FX: ff ·:; Cal (effec t of grasping ha nds tightly) Yawara: i.H6 "'(:' t -? , @±-=f ~ lv !! Omedeto, Fujiko-san!
" Congr_atulations,.lJJ ' iko!" (PL2-3)
• omedeto (go:aimasu) is a congratulatory phrase used for a variety of joyful occasions like birthdays. New Year's. times of personal achievements or good fortune. and times of joy such as when a woman becomes pregnant.
@J
Hanazono:
"'f:'TQ, @±-T~Iv, desu ne, Fujiko-san,
lt>J:It>J:
lyo-iyo
finally/atlas! is, isn' t it? (name)-(hon.)
~8:;$: ~f-fl!!
~en -Nihon
senshuken
all Japan
championship
' 'It's finally here isn' t it Fuiiko. The national championship (meet)!" (PL3) • iyo-iyo is used when speaking of an event that is finally/at long last about to occur. • either ~ 8 4.: :en-Nihon (lit.. "all Japan") or~~ :.enkoku (lit.. "alVentire country") can be used to refer to nationwide events - though the two words are not interchangeable in any given case.
~
Hanazono: :=£-$ JJ. t..: It' 1: i}C)JJ1 I± ~1!~ t '&r± {- ~ lv (J) Kyonen mitai-ni kessho wa lnokuma to Fujiko-san no last year
like
~M]~
title bout as-for (name)
1: Jj: J.> ni naru
mei-shobu
and (name)-(hon.) of/between
b!! ne!
"'f:'L.t-? desha
fine/great contest/match will become (explan.) probably/perhaps won't it?
" Like last vear the title bout willJ!r_obabh' be a reat match between you and it?" (PL3)
4'1f.
I±
Kotoshi wa this year
F17t
jibun
~
~);J'I:
mo
zellai-ni
r.l:.ti
(:
oen
nt
"'<
lnokuma~
won' t
"'f:';h t) iT!! de arimasu!
iku
as-for oneself/myself too/also absolutely rooting/cheering for purpose of will go
is
''This year I will also absolutely go to cheer for you."
- "This_year you can be sure I wiJJ be there to cheer you on, too!" (PL2-3) Sound FX: 'fi 'J 'fi ·:; 'fl ·:; tl 'J Catsu gatsu gatsu gatsu (effect of eating vorac iously) • mitai-ni is the adverb form of mitai ("is like"). • mei is added as a pre fix to a wide variety of words to imply' , reatfexcellent/notedfcelebratedldistinguishedfetc." Shobu is written with kanji meaning "victory" and "defeat," and can refer either to the "contest/match'' it elf or 10 the decisive moment/act that determines the winner and loser. KesshiJ written with kar for "decide" and "victory," refers to the decisive game/match in a tournament-+ " title bout/match/game." • n is from explanatory no. and desho makes a conjectural statement. son desho is "it probably is the case that .. :· • jibrm ="oneself," or '' me/myself," "he/himself,.. ·'you/yourself," etc .. depending on the context. Male athletes and military personnel commonly usejibun rather than warashi. • oen is a noun referring to the act of "cheering/rooting ... Ni iku after an action noun means "go to (do the action) ... • some speakers add desu or de arimasu to the plain/abrupt (PL2) form of a verb as an informaVcolloquial alternate for the PL3 form (in this case ikimasrr. from iku ["go")). creating a form that stands somewhere between PL2 and PL3 in our scheme of politeness levels. It has an emphatic effect here, emphasizing his determination.
@J
Hanazono:
It>~,
/ya,
nolinterj.
L1.PL shikashi but
J.tt& oen
1!1.1'1) bakari
rooting/cheering only/exclusively
L'CJ.> shiteru doing
btt wake situation/explanation
t.:.~;hl)i-tt'lv! ! )a arimasen! is not
"(No) but the situation is not that I' m only cheering (now)." - "Not that all I' m doing these days is cheeri.ngl" (PL3)
§JjJibun
~ *:¥ (J)J{Jv~O-j- li~ t:t·tt'C7Jv.AO·;; rJv"'f:' iJ(/v(i'-?C 11 ;iT!! mo rainen no Baruserona gorin 11i mukete furu surottoru de ganbattorimasu!
Umyself also next year 's
Barcelona
Olympics 10
facing
fullthronlc
at
am working hard
"I'm trainin at full throttle, too, with..m~igbts set on next ear's Barcelona Oiym~!" (PL3) • iya literally means "no." but in this case can be viewed mainly as a verbal "warm-up" for his sentence. • shiteru is a contraction of shite-iru. from suru (''do''). Oen sum is the verb form of oen ("rooting/cheering"). and inserting bakari makes it "only cheer/do nothi ng but cheer." • gorin is "five rings." the Olympic symbol. More commonly used is :t '} / ~ ·:~ 7 o rinpikku, from the English. • ... ni mukete is an expression meaning "facing/aiming/heading toward." • f um surottoru is a katakana rendering of "full throttle"; furu surolloru de= ''at full throttle." • ganbattorimasu is a contraction of ganba11e-orimasu. the -te form of ganbam plus the PL3 form of onr, a humble equivalent of iru ("be/exist" for animate things). The -te ont form. like the -te iru fom1. can mean either "am/is/are doing'' or " have/has done" depending on context. MA NGAJIN
81
Ya wara l
}d - 1il3
tt. ..., "'?
~
(,.....:. =f- (J)
tt A. -c· =J=. i l: tt:t -t/JI.~'7
J:8 "'? !! 1:7-
-c· t
82
M ANGAJI N
Yawara!
~= ip t ~ -:::> "' -c {> '
:fi
Hanazono: t:tfvt L-c{> ,
ni
is hi
Nan to shire mo,
kajiritsuite mo,
at any cost/by any means rock/stone tO bite into/onto even if
<
--c-(_, =f~ 1Jf Papa ka! Moshi kodomo ga
Hanazono: ;'{;~ il'! ! papa
is it?
if
(J)
-t!tW. 71'/l::":t/ chanpion
sekai
J: -? 1:
~ .(., "'?
<
lftr
tJ>t:>
lnokuma no yi5 ni monogokoro tsuku mae kara
(subj.) if is made/born (name)
child
~ )Q: t:. t:. ~ .:: lv -e judo tatakikonde
~,~
dekitara
like
begin to understand
before from
t!. !! da!
champion is/will be judo pound/drum into-and world " Daddy, huh? If I had a child, I'd train him hard in judo from even before he understands what's 1!0in2 o n around him like lnokuma and (m a k e him) world champion. " (PL2) Sound FX: 1!71!7 1f'7 il7
.. . . 0
Gafu gafu gafu gafu (effect of shoveling food into his mouth) dekirara is a conditional " if/when" form of dekiru ("be made/formed/produced"). . .. no yo ni after a noun means " like/in the manner of ..." monogokoro refers to "discretion/judgment/understanding of things." Monogokoro (ga) tsuku refers to the process of a child coming to understand the world around him/her, and the phrase here modifies mae ("before"). rarakikonde is the -re form of rarakikomu, literally "pound/drum imo," an idiom referring to teaching/instructing/ training someone vigorously/relentlessly. The panicle o, to markjiido as the direct object, has been omitted.
Hanazono: t:t.lv"C b.!!
Nante
ne!
/\ --; /\ ·:; /\ '/ !! Hahhahha!
(quote) (colloq.) (laugh) " Listen to me talk! Ha ha ha!" (PL2) Fu'iko:
~
ih t:. L {> -(--) LJ::-7 t -~-? "( !! Atashi mo so shiyi5 to omotte! also that way will do (quote) was thinking Vme " I was thinking I would do that also." -
"I was thinkin2 the same thi112,'' (PL2)
Hanazono: ~Jt
.-/ken
1J~
ga
• name is a colloquial quotative form implying that what precedes it is somehow unworthy/ridiculous/silly. When it's tagged on after the sentence like this it implies the speaker is not serious/just kidding, a kind of backpedaling lest he be thought overly bold. • atashi is a variation of warashi, more common among female speakers than males. • shiyo is the form of suru ("do") expressing wilVintent. • omotte is the -reform of omou ("think"), here implying something like omoue-irulita ("am/was thinking").
-fl-v' ~ -t b.-' 'li±=f~lv aimasu
ne,
Fujiko-san
t
lie
to wa.
opinion/thinking (subj.) match(es) doesn't it? (name)-(hon.) with as-for "Our thinking matches, doesn't it - you and me?" - " We think alike don' t w e F uiiko." (PL3) Sound FX:
/ \ ~ /\ ~
Hagu hagu (effect of chewing)
~
Fu'iko:
IO}JIOB, Jugatsu ti5ka,
. .
1*~ tai'iku
(J)
B
-IJ~
no hi ga
~(_,~
tanoshimi
• aimasu is the PL3 form of au ("fill match/coincide"). • Fujiko-san ro implies Fujiko-san to warashi ("Fujiko and me·· - "you and me"). The syntax is reversed. Normal order would be Fujiko-san to wa iken ga aimasu ne.
b. o ne.
October lOth physical education of day (subj.) is awaited eagerly isn't it? "October lOth, Phys ical Fitness Day, will be awaited eagerly, won't it?" ''I can hardlv wait for October lOth Phvsical Fitness Dav. can vou?" ( PL2) ranoshimi is a noun meaning "pleasure/enjoyment/delight"; when a future event is referred to as tanoshimi, it means that event is awaited with eager anticipation - "[I] look forward to/can hardly wait for." ne by itself often replaces desu ne ("is, isn't it/are, aren't you?"), especially in feminine speech. Herne here assumes a similar eagerness on his part rather than expecting him to confirm her eagerness.
(continued on following page) MANGAJIN
85
Yawaral
S6
MAN GAJIN
Yawaral (continued from previous page)
~
SoundFX: Hanazono:
*~*~
Hogu hogu (effect of chewing)
fPJ
1Jf
Nani ga what
.A
tJ''l
su ka?
(subj.) is
?
"What is (awaited with anticipation)?" -
"Why is that?" (PL3-informal)
• su is a contraction of desu. Some speakers habitually drop the de in desu when speaking informally.
Fu.liko:
-rm ...
-c: ~ ~ ~ -? t.::. o
Kodomo . . . dekichatta. child/baby
was made
"I'm prgnant." (PL2) • dekichatta is a contraction of dekite shimatta, the ·te form of dekiru ("be made/formed/produced") plus the plain/abrupt past form of shimau ("end/fmishlput away"). In many cases, shimau after the ·te form of a verb implies the action is regrettable/undesirable, but here it merely reflects her surprise and (obviously delighted) embarrassmentlsheepishness.
Hanazono: i" IJ ~ ~-c:t.::.ll' .Ab- o ~Q) .A-IJ'? Sorya medetai su ne. Dare no su ka? as for that joyous/happy is, isn't it
whose
is 7
' 'That calls for congratulations. Whose Is it?" (PL3-infonnal) Fujiko: if.> t.::. L. c ;(E Ill
kan zen-ni oboeru odori sekken teas hi tehon ude wata-ame
completely/perfectly learn/remember dance (n.) soap arms & legs example/model arm/sleeve cotton candy
From Yawara!, p. 69 fukumeru furo 7 Jv.A o-;; !- Jv f uru surottoru 5C~1j: genki-na lifii gorin li 1J t.: .t3i" haritaosu iken lf!,~ ikuji li'?r itsutsugo l;lJ:I;lJ: iyo-iyo kajiru il' 1.:0 kinjo i!Iffl' kotoshi 4-iF kyonen *iF fr.'?r mutsugo ~lfjRI!T nagetobasu oen It-~ rainen *iF ~RMAflsanfujin-ka il-¥~ senshuken shlJbu shussan 1±1£ tai 'iku ~l...}J. tanoshimi tomo ~ Mtr umu 75£8 yotei-bi ~11'1: zettai-ni
*t>.o
!l\8
-~
·~
~-
include/contain bath full throttle energetic/strong Olympics k.nock./slap down opinion/think.ing child-rearing quintuplets finall y/at last gnaw/bite (at) neighborhood this year last year sextuplets fling/hurl rooting/cheering next year ob-gyn clinic c hampionship contest/match c hildbirth physical education pleasure/enjoyment/delight friend/companion bear/give birth due date absolutely
The Vocabulary Summary is taken from material appearing in this issue of MA NGAJJN. It 's not always possible to give the complete range of meanings for a word in this limited space, so our "definitions" are based on the usage of the word in a particular story.
90
MA NGAJIN
